Steady knocks help hosts edge nervy encounter with fellow strugglers Crowthorne and Crown Wood 2nd by a single wicket.

Shashank Garg was Shinfield's lead wicket taker during Saturday's success against Crowthorne and Crown Wood 2nd

Berkshire Cricket League Divisions 2&3

Shinfield were indebted to the batting efforts of Naveed Naseer and Mridul Mathur for guiding the side to a first win of the Division 2 season.

In a clash between two sides at the wrong end of the table, hits of 39 from Naseer, and an unbeaten 32 from Mathur helped the hosts chase down a target of 183 to defeat Crowthorne and Crown Wood 2nd by just one wicket.

Shinfield captain Paul Dear won the toss and put the visitors into bat.

Shashank Garg led his attack with fine figures of 5-22 from 12 overs, while Rehaan Samdani and Lawrence Heaton-Wright finished with two wickets each.

Through Simon Sheppard (3-36), Crinnion (2-39) and a wicket each for Andrew Baines, Raj Mann, Daniel and John Cartledge, the away side ensured of an exciting end to proceedings.

But it was a stubborn Mathur, along with last batsman Heaton-Wright, who ensured Shinfield hung on to grab a welcome win in the 44th over.

Sonning 3rd’s
chased down a daunting target of 299 to defeat Mortimer West End 2nd by two wickets at Reading Blue Coat School.

Host skipper James Kennealy appeared to have been punished for inserting the visitors into bat, as a blistering blast of 127 from opposite number Neil Storkey laid the foundations for a big visiting total.

With Abrar Pewekar hitting 89 and William Bray adding 43, Mortimer, who lost just the four wickets, looked to be in control of proceedings.

But Sonning were resolute in their reply, as a number of steady knocks saw them surpass an unlikely target in the 45th over.

Steve Rayfield led the innings with a top score of 70, but openers Naqash Tahir (22) and Ali Driver (36), along with Bubbu Thava (46), Paul Shumake (25) and Kiran Alluri (29) all chipped away at the total as the hosts won a
high-scoring encounter.

Earley
tasted defeat for the first time this campaign away at Bradfield, where the Knights were bowled out for 101 chasing 167.

Steven Mapes and Gary Shacklady were the lead wicket takers for Rob Casey’s side, finishing with 4-30 and 4-53 respectively to leave the contest evenly poised.

Despite Casey and Shacklady producing a solid start for Earley with hits of 22 and 48, their departures triggered the start of a collapse.

Only Owen Bye, at five, made double figures as the rest of the side came and went for just 22 runs.

Chief destroyer of the visitors’ innings was Jack Byrne, who finished with 6-15 from a 13-over spell with the ball.

It was a miserable afternoon for stand-in captain Oscar Woodbridge, who saw his Twyford and Ruscombe
side skittled out for just 97 and beaten by two wickets at Purley-on-Thames in Division 3.

Put into bat, it was a difficult session for the visiting side, as only Andy Stevens, who top scored with 27, Woodbridge (11) and Chris Fort, unbeaten on 10, hit double figures.

Steve Walkland quickly removed Kirwin Roach for a duck as Twyford put on a brave fight in the field, with Spence Nicholls bowling Pahi Selveratnam on 20.

An unbeaten 50 from James Denton, though, and Arshad Mohamed (11no) saw the hosts to victory in the 27th over.

League leaders BCS Grosvenor 2nd
were pushed all the way by closest rivals Hawley at Sonning Lane, with the former holding out to secure a winning draw.

Waqas Ashraf and Aqeel Butt made the most of being asked to bat first by their opponents, as the BCS pair, batting three and four, laid the foundations for an opening score of 220-8 with fine innings of 70 and 60 respectively.

But they were to become frustrated in the field, as a number of stubborn knocks saw Hawley, for the loss of seven wickets, move to within nine of their target – only to run out of deliveries.